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//-->The Mysterious Affair at StylesChristie, AgathaCreation of machine-readable version: Charles KellerCreation of digital images: Carolyn M. Fay, Electronic Text CenterConversion to TEI.2-conformant markup: University of Virginia Library Electronic TextCenter. ca. 400 kilobytesThis version available from the University of Virginia Library.Charlottesville, Va.ChrMystPublicly-accessible"public":URL: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/modeng/modengC.browse.htmlCopyright 1999, by the Rector and Visitors of the University of VirginiaURL: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/Commercial use prohibited; all usage governed by our Conditions of Use:http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/conditions.html1997Note: Illustrations have been included from 1920 National Book Co. Publishers edition.Images have been named according to the pagination of this edition.About the print versionThe Mysterious Affair at StylesAgatha Christie196 pp.The National Book Co. PublishersNew York1920Note: The electronic version was created from the Dodd, Mead & Company 1920 edition.However, the electronic text was checked against the 1920 National Book Co. Publishersedition. The pagination of the electronic version conforms to that of the Bantam Booksedition.Note:Prepared for the University of Virginia Library Electronic Text Center.All quotation marks retained as data.All unambiguous end-of-line hyphens have been removed, and the trailing part of a wordhas been joined to the preceding line.The images exist as archived TIFF images, one or more JPEG versions for general use, andthumbnail GIFs.Keywords in the header are a local Electronic Text Center scheme to aid in establishinganalytical groupings.Library of Congress Subject Headings1920EnglishFrench prose; fiction Women Writers LCSHRevisions to the electronic versionJuly, 1997 corrector Carolyn M. FayAdded TEI header and tags.etextcenter@virginia.edu.Commercial use prohibited; all usage governed by our Conditionsof Use:http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/conditions.htmlImage of the front cover of The Mysterious Affair at StylesTHE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLESA DETECTIVE STORYBYAGATHA CHRISTIETHE NATIONAL BOOK CO.PUBLISHERSNEW YORK28 West 44th St.Copyright, 1920BYJOHN LANE COMPANYPrinted in the United States of AmericaCONTENTSI. I GO TO STYLES 1II. THE 16TH AND 17TH OF JULY 14III. THE NIGHT OF THE TRAGEDY 23IV. POIROT INVESTIGATES 32V. ``IT ISN'T STRYCHNINE, IS IT?'' 54VI. THE INQUEST 81VII. POIROT PAYS HIS DEBTS 95VIII. FRESH SUSPICIONS 107IX. DR. BAUERSTEIN 124X. THE ARREST 138XI. THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION 154XII. THE LAST LINK 173XIII. POIROT EXPLAINS 184-1-CHAPTER II GO TO STYLESTHE intense interest aroused in the public by what was known at the time as ``The StylesCase'' has now somewhat subsided. Nevertheless, in view of the world-wide notoriety whichattended it, I have been asked, both by my friend Poirot and the family themselves, to write anaccount of the whole story. This, we trust, will effectually silence the sensational rumourswhich still persist.I will therefore briefly set down the circumstances which led to my being connected withthe affair.I had been invalided home from the Front; and, after spending some months in a ratherdepressing Convalescent Home, was given a month's sick leave. Having no near relations orfriends, I was trying to make up my mind what to do, when I ran across John Cavendish. I hadseen very little of him for some years. Indeed, I had never known him particularly well. Hewas a good fifteen years my senior, for one thing, though he hardly looked his forty-fiveyears. As a boy, though, I had often stayed at Styles, his mother's place in Essex.We had a good yarn about old times, and it ended in his inviting me down to Styles tospend my leave there.``The mater will be delighted to see you again -- after all those years,'' he added.-2-``Your mother keeps well?'' I asked.``Oh, yes. I suppose you know that she has married again?''I am afraid I showed my surprise rather plainly. Mrs. Cavendish, who had married John'sfather when he was a widower with two sons, had been a handsome woman of middle-age as Iremembered her. She certainly could not be a day less than seventy now. I recalled her as anenergetic, autocratic personality, somewhat inclined to charitable and social notoriety, with afondness for opening bazaars and playing the Lady Bountiful. She was a most generouswoman, and possessed a considerable fortune of her own.Their country-place, Styles Court, had been purchased by Mr. Cavendish early in theirmarried life. He had been completely under his wife's ascendancy, so much so that, on dying,he left the place to her for her lifetime, as well as the larger part of his income; anarrangement that was distinctly unfair to his two sons. Their step-mother, however, hadalways been most generous to them; indeed, they were so young at the time of their father'sremarriage that they always thought of her as their own mother.Lawrence, the younger, had been a delicate youth. He had qualified as a doctor but earlyrelinquished the profession of medicine, and lived at home while pursuing literary ambitions;though his verses never had any marked success.John practiced for some time as a barrister, but had finally settled down to the morecongenial life of a country squire. He had married two years ago, and had taken his wife tolive at Styles, though I entertained a shrewd suspicion that he would have preferred hismother to increase his allowance, which would have enabled him to have a home of his own.Mrs. Cavendish, however, was a lady who liked to make her own plans, and expected otherpeople to fall in with them, and in this case she certainly had the whip hand, namely: the pursestrings.John noticed my surprise at the news of his mother's remarriage and smiled rather ruefully.``Rotten little bounder too!'' he said savagely. ``I can tell-3-you, Hastings, it's making life jolly difficult for us. As for Evie -- you remember Evie?''``No.''``Oh, I suppose she was after your time. She's the mater's factotum, companion, Jack of alltrades! A great sport -- old Evie! Not precisely young and beautiful, but as game as they makethem.''``You were going to say -- -- ?''``Oh, this fellow! He turned up from nowhere, on the pretext of being a second cousin orsomething of Evie's, though she didn't seem particularly keen to acknowledge the relationship.The fellow is an absolute outsider, anyone can see that. He's got a great black beard, andwears patent leather boots in all weathers! But the mater cottoned to him at once, took him onas secretary -- you know how she's always running a hundred societies?''I nodded.``Well, of course the war has turned the hundreds into thousands. No doubt the fellow wasvery useful to her. But you could have knocked us all down with a feather when, three monthsago, she suddenly announced that she and Alfred were engaged! The fellow must be at leasttwenty years younger than she is! It's simply bare-faced fortune hunting; but there you are --she is her own mistress, and she's married him.''``It must be a difficult situation for you all.''``Difficult! It's damnable!''Thus it came about that, three days later, I descended from the train at Styles St. Mary, anabsurd little station, with no apparent reason for existence, perched up in the midst of green
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